Ukraine: Government Fights Against The “Right Sector” Combatants. Helicopters And Armoured Vehicles Involved.
Neighbourhood of Mukachevo, in the western part of Ukraine, was an area in which the government forces fought with the nationalist “Right Sector” organization. Helicopters and armoured personnel carriers were deployed in the area.
On Saturday, 11th July, in the Mukachevo area, fights between the “Right Sector” combatants and the Police broke out, after the representatives of the “Right Sector” attacked the security guards of one of the Members of the Ukrainian Parliament. The criminals used firearms and grenade launchers during the shooting event. Several vehicles belonging to the Ukrainian police were destroyed.
Additional reinforcements, including the National Guard, were sent to the area. The Ukrainians employ, among other means, armoured personnel carriers and helicopters. The Ukrainian authorities demand the combatants to surrender. The operation described above, also involves units of the Ukrainian Security Service. Two persons were killed, some other were wounded during the battle.
The “Right Sector” also organized a demonstration on Sunday, in Kiev. What is more, the leader of the “Right Sector” - Dmytro Yarosh, was also involved, on 12th July, in negotiations with the Ukrainian officials – the President, Petro Poroshenko, and the chief of the Ukrainian Security Service. Reuters reports that the representatives of the organization established several road checkpoints, the aim of which is to stop the flow of support for the government’s forces.
It shall be noted that Mukacheve is located in the Transcarpathian region of Ukraine, just several kilometres from the Hungarian and Slovakian border. Ukraine Today reports that the Right Sector claims that it would “deploy” several reserve battalions if the Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs does not resign from his position.
The Mukacheve events show that armed groups which are not following the Kiev’s orders, are still active and present within the Ukrainian territory. The activities undertaken by these armed groups have a destabilizing impact on the situation in Ukraine. Agnieszka Romaszewska, director of the Belsat TV notes that there are many similarities between the situation in the Transcarpathian area and the circumstances of the last year’s Donbass crisis. A large part of the Donetsk and Luhansk districts was overtaken by the “separatists”, acting together with the Russian soldiers.